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From: sho@pur-phy (Sho Kuwamoto)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.programmer
Subject: Re: a message box for the finder?
Message-ID: <1772@pur-phy>
Date: 9 Jan 89 22:16:27 GMT
References: <730078@hpcilzb.HP.COM>
Reply-To: sho@newton.physics.purdue.edu.UUCP (Sho Kuwamoto)
Organization: Purdue Univ. Physics Dept., W. Lafayette, IN
Lines: 20

In article <730078@hpcilzb.HP.COM> tedj@hpcilzb.HP.COM (Ted Johnson) writes:
<Do the Macintosh gurus out there think it would be possible to write a VBL
<task that would monitor a command-line window and carry out finder-like
<commands?  What I have in mind is something like HyperCard's message box.
<You would be able to launch applications, delete files, etc. all without
<moving the mouse.  (Use pretzel-m to bring up the "message box", or just
<use "blind typing").
<
<Before I start coding such a thing, I'd like to know if anyone sees any
<fundamental flaws with it.

I think blind typing would be a bad idea.  Come to think of it, I'm not
sure how technically feasible it is to begin with, but even if you could
do it, it would make the interface modal with no reliable visual feedback.
Suppose the user has hilighted a filename which has scrolled off the
window.  Any typing will cause a renaming of the file in question.  Just
how would you check to see if the Finder wanted the keystroke in the first
place?

-Sho